TOW September 11th
by Shelby Shelley
Summary: i by no means want to offend anyone... this is just me trying to make scense of it all..


Title: The one with September 11th  
  
Author: Kryssi Louise  
Rating: PG  
  
Description: Alright, i do not mean to offend anyone by this. This is just me trying to make sense of everything that has happend. Try to see how so many people must have felt on that day. Everyone has a story of where they were when it happend. For myself, i was and still am in England, and had to watch it all on a tv in the Sony store. It was an unbelievable shock. So anway, yeah, i hope no one is offend. Also, if for some reason you do not know who the father of Rachel's baby is and still don't want to know....don't read this, it has spoilers.  
  
Archive: If anyone is willing to take this story and post it on a web page, let me know first, please!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of "F.R.I.E.N.D.S." although, Ross and/or Chandler could come home with me anyday :-) I also don't own MSNBC...just seemed an apropreat news channel.  
  
Feedback: Please get back to me!! I love to hear from people! But could we have some constructive criticism please?   
  
  
  
Looking out the large skylight in her and Chandler's apartment, Monica could see that the day was shaping up to be beautiful. The sky was powder blue without a cloud to be seen, allowing the sun to stream through in warm, bright rays. She was still in her housecoat looking out the window when her brother Ross walked through the door.  
"Hey, what are you doing here? Its like, eight in the morning."   
He walked over to her fridge and took out some orange juice, "Yeah, I know. But Chandler just called me and said he'd forgetten his lunch." He gave her a questioning look, "He said you'd be upset or something."  
She smiled and walked across the aparment to pick up a brown paper bag from the fridge, "I think a good wife should send her husband off to work with a proper lunch. Besides, this way I can put cute little notes in it."  
Giving her a look he said, "Because, McDonalds got angry when you tried to put notes in his Happy Meal?"  
She glared at him as she handed him the bag, "Here." She started to walk towards her room when she quickly turned around, "You're not going to read the note now are you?!"  
"Oh, wouldn't dare!"   
He finished off his glass of juice before heading to the door, "I'll see you later then."  
"Remember that Chandler is at the World Trade Center today, thats where his meeting is."  
"Really? What is he doing there?"  
"I don't know, something about numbers..." Monica shrugged her shoulders and looked a little guilty about not knowing. She couldn't help it if no one, including herself, could not remember what Chandler's job required of him.  
Ross scoffed a bit, "You ARE married to him, aren't you?"  
"Oh shut up! I'll see you at the coffee house later."  
  
***  
  
"Hey Chandler, cute note in there from Monica." Ross gave a goofy smile as he stood with Chandler outside of a meeting room.  
"Oh God, you read it?!" Chandler looked horrified as he grabbed a paper cup for the water cooler.  
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your nickname, 'Mr. B'" he winked and grabbed for a cup himself.   
"Sure you won't. Should I just get it posted on a billboard right now? Or maybe tatooed along my forehead!" In all reality Chandler didn't mind the little notes, accually he thought they were pretty cute. But when his best friend and brother in law started reading them, it got just a little embarassing.  
"Hey dude. Cool down. Its alright. Rach used to do the same kind of thing sometimes way back when we were going out."  
"Really? I never thought she'd do something like that."  
"Ok, so accually it was me doing that, but you get my point."  
"Sure." They both stood in silence a moment, drinking water, before Chandler spoke, "So how are things with you two anyway? She's what, like, five months pregnant now?"  
Ross gave a bit of a sigh, he was still trying to convince Rachel to move in with him so he could help her out as she got closer to the due date. Unfortunatly she was very stubborn and was determine to do as much as she could on her own. Even though he knew deep down she was despratly afraid of being a bad mother. "Things are going alright. I just wish she'd let me help her out more."  
"Don't worry about it man, she'll come around. You two have been friends for like," Chandler paused to think a moment, "well forever really. And you have more history then a text book!" Ross gave him a weird look, "ok, or something that has alot of history..."  
"I know. Its just, she means alot to me. And it is my kid that she's carrying..."  
Suddenly he was cut off by an explotion that made the floor shake under their feet. Ross looked around, "what the hell was that?!"  
"I dunno!"  
People started running into the corridor and there was gasps and screams of horror as everyone around them was panicking. One woman rushed by them and Ross grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her toward them, "What happend?"  
Her voice was high and frightened and her eyes bulged out of her glasses, "The other tower's been hit! Someone said it was a plane! Go see for yourself!" and she pointed to an office and rushed off.  
Both men gave eachother a worried look as they then darted for the office door.  
  
***  
  
Monica was dressed for the day and making herself breakfast when Rachel burst through her door, followed quickly by Joey. She was still in her sweats and her hair was a mess, which was usually the first thing Rachel worried about in the morning.  
"Monica, turn on your t.v.!" she blirted out.  
"And good morning to you too!" Monica said with a laugh, "you look horrible..."  
"I don't care! Monica, turn on your t.v.!!"  
"Here, let me do it." Joey rushed over and picked up the remote.  
"Guys, what is going on? Wait, is this like that time you found free porn?"  
"I only WISH it was porn!" Joey stated as he got the t.v. on and sat down on the couch.  
The screen came up with MSNBC where the Twin Towers were being shown, one of them with a gaping hole in it, thick black smoke was billowing out and the caption read 'Plane Hits World Trade Center'  
"Oh my god." Monica had a sick feeling come over her as she listened to the news ancour.  
"Nearly ten minutes ago a plane crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center. We are still not sure how or why this happend, but the assumption is somehow a plane got off track..." Image after image of the smoke and people trying to escape were shown.  
"I have to call Ross' cell phone." was all Monica said as she got up and rushed for her telephone.  
Rachel gave her a confused look, "Why his cell? You could just phone his aparment."   
Monica tried to steady herself, "Because my husband and brother are in one of those towers!"  
Joey turned away from the news report, "What?! Why are they both down there?!"  
While she was trying to dial the number Monica explained what had happend earlier that morning.  
"Oh my god, Ross and Chandler are in that? Oh god." Rachel became even more worried.  
Monica suddenly heard Ross' voice "Hello?"   
"Ross! Are you alright?!"  
"Mon? Yeah, we're fine. The North Tower has been hit by a bomb or something."  
"It was a plane." she dismissed details though, Monica wanted to be sure they were alright, "is Chandler there?"  
"Oh yeah, here." The phone was handed over and Chandler picked up, "Hi sweety. Listen, Mon its alright. Don't worry. They are telling us things will be alright."  
Between a sigh of relief and the lump in her throat Monica could only say "I love you."  
"I love you too sweety. Listen, don't worry, I'll be home a bit later..." he was cut off as Monica's eyes became glued to the television screen. Rachel and Joey watched with her in horror as another plane came into view and smashed into the second tower.  
  
***  
  
The room was silent. No one moved. Even the news anchors on the television were in shock at what they had just witnessed. The moments seemed like hours before news started pouring in about hijacked planes and terrorists. Soon enough the caption read 'Terrorist Attack' and the news was playing footage after footage of what had happend. Repeating over and over as if to make people believe it was really happening.  
Someone walked into the apartment, possibly said hello, but soon was watching the t.v. relising what else had happend.  
Rachel began to slowly stammer, "so, um. what...what does that mean? um, is Ross...is Ross and Chandler... um..are they...?" Her voice cracked and tears slid down her cheeks as her eyes stayed on the news coverage.  
"What? Ross and Chandler are in there?" Pheobe's voice broke through in shock. Joey quickly got up and lead her out to the hall to explain as Monica made a mad dash for the redial button on the phone. Busy. Redial. Busy. Redial. Busy. "God! why can't i get through!" Monica threw down the phone in frustration, only to be startled as it suddenly rang.  
"Ross?!"  
"Mon, its me."  
"Oh my god, Chandler. Are you alright?!" she started pacing around the apartment with Rachel quickly on her heals.  
"Mon, i can't talk long. I want you to know i love you. I'm making my way out of here." he paused a second, "Monica, I don't know where Ross is. We go seperated. Try and call his cell phone. I love you, i love you so much. Bye Mon." She could hear screaming in the background. People wailing in pain, yelling they were going to die. She didn't want him to leave her with that memory of him if he was going to die on her.  
"I love you too. No, wait!" the line went dead and she stared down at the phone in her hand a moment.  
"Well? Are they alright?" Rachel looked hopfully at her friend.  
"Um," Monica swollowed hard before looking Rachel in the eyes, "Chandler said he got seperated from Ross. He is getting out, but he doesn't know where Ross is." She wrapped her arms around Rachel and stood there as they both started to cry. Everything was happening so quickly. And now they didn't know if someone close to them was going to get out alive.   
  
***  
  
Rachel sat in a chair with the phone and kept hitting redial. Still busy. It had been fourty five minutes since the second plane had crashed. Monica had phoned her parents before everything seemed to grind to a hault. They were still waiting to try and get through to Ross. One hand slide down to her growing tummy as she hit the button again. Still busy. She had already thrown up from the sickening stress of it all. Everything seemed so far away to her now. In one hour, a few terrorist could have taken away the single most important person in her life. Redial. Busy. Where was he?   
She jumped in her seat as the phone rang, "Hello?"  
"Rachel!"  
"Ross! Where are you? Are you alright?" a thousand questions flooded her mind, but he cut her off.  
"Rach, I'm fine. But I need to talk to you."  
"Ross, this really isn't the time. Can't you just come home and we'll talk?"  
"Listen, this is bad, everyone is crazy. I'm helping people and we're trying to get out."  
"Don't help people, get out yourself!"  
"Rachel, listen to me. I love you. I always have and always will. You and me, we go way back. You are the best friend I have ever had."  
Tears started to roll down her cheeks, "Ross, you're scaring me."  
"I want you to take care of yourself and I don't want you worrying about how good a mother you'll be, because you will be great. Rachel, you are amazing. I love you. Tell Monica and my parents that I love them. Tell Ben that I love him, don't let him forget his dad."  
"Ross, please...don't..."  
"Promise me you'll do all that. Rach, please. I've always been able to count on you."  
"Yes, but you're coming home. I can't do this birth on my own. Not without you."  
"You'll be alright. Ok, Rach, I have to go." his voice went distance a moment and Rachel began to panic.  
"Ross Geller, you get out of there! I love you, I need you, Promise me you'll get out."  
There was a pause and when he did speak she could hear the fear in his voice, "I'll do my best. I really have to go. I love you." with that the line went dead. Within another fifteen minutes, the South Tower had collapsed.  
  
***  
  
A day later posters were up everywhere in the city. Pictures of loved ones who were missing. Those who were in the towers that day or possibly below them. Somewhere in the mess of stappled up papers is one that holds the face of Ross Geller: Beloved father, brother, son and friend. If seen or heard from please contact Rachel Green, Monica Geller. 


End file.
